The Shane Morris Incident

For posterity I've clipped the video of the helmet to helmet hit and Michigan's actions after, plus the decision to insert him into the game after Gardner's helmet popped off.

The booing you hear in the background is fans demanding that Morris be removed, as it was even more obvious Morris was not right if you were looking at him for those 20 seconds uninterrupted. The only guy in the stadium who didn't know was Hoke.

Bluntly, anyone arguing that we shouldn't jump down Hoke's throat because of the slight possibility Morris was not concussed is an idiot.

And it was explained to you that difference was that Morris was not overcoming his pain. The kid couldn't move well enough to avoid further injury. That is completely different than what Gardner was doing last year against OSU. It also wasn't blindingly obvious to everyone watching that Gardner was injured. Everyone, aside from the people in charge on the sideline, could tell that Morris hadn't been right since the play in the endzone when he fumbled the ball.

Gardner was, at several points in 2013, just as visibly hobbled as Morris (pre head hit). So is Funchess right now. Neither of those guys are in any better position to "protect themselves." Hell, we had a pretty good torch and pitchfork session about Funchess's blocking effort last week, with no slack given for literally hoping around on one leg on the sidelines. Right or wrong, playing hurt is pretty ubiquitous, and not just on this team.

Both before and after the blow to the head.
Gardner was noticably hurt, but still capable of moving and making plays. Morris was not very capable of moving or making plays. Then he took a heymaker shot to the chin. Morris likely shouldn't have been in the game long before the headshot. He absolutely shouldn't have been in the game for even a single snap more after it.

I was simply pointing out that the situations were completely different. You can't compare injuries so directly, because each situation is unique unto itself...that's why I think there is no double-standard.

Is it OK to play someone when there hurt? Depends on the injury and the situation. That's really all I meant.

But once the injury involves the brain...the answer should always, ALWAYS, err on the side of caution. The score doesn't matter...but the fact that they were down 23 points at the time certainly doesn't make it look any better that they kept him out there.

The coaches left Shane in for one play after he was drilled. What exactly changed in their minds during that one extra play? Shane actually looked less wobbly during that last play. The only thing that makes sense is that the coaches realized they should have taken him out a play earlier.

That's exactly what I think happened. Things moved too quickly for Hoke and Co, and the inertia of the game got Shane through one more play before everyone came to their senses. Again, incompetence, not ill intent.

Disregard implies not caring about the players. You can't see Hoke kneeling over an injured Dennis Norfleet last game, stroking his helmet and trying to comfort him and come to that conclusion. On the other hand there are multiple examples of the game moving too fast for Hoke.

Hanlon's Razor says "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity," which I think applies here.

If he cared, like you claim, he would make it his job to know. He has stated that he did not know. Thus, he does not care. Your claim that he cares is false. His actions clearly indicate that he was not interested in knowing the state of Shane's health. It was not an important enough issue for him to care about. He even stated that he didn't know Shane left the field on a cart! That's not evidence that the meathead cares about his players. It is evidence of indifference.

The coaches left Shane in for one play after he was drilled. What exactly changed in their minds during that one extra play? Shane actually looked less wobbly during that last play. The only thing that makes sense is that the coaches realized they should have taken him out a play earlier.

Two things changed. When waiting for the call after the late hit, he was farther from the sideline and although he was woozy, someone could confuse that for him having just taken a big hit and trying to shake that off as well as the leg he hurt earlier.

After the next play, he was closer to the sideline and the clip clearly shows he could barely keep his eyes open. I think then is when they realized he might have had a head injury, not just a bruised body.

For what its worth, I put this all on Hoke. But what in the name of Christ are Paul Schmidt and Phil Johnson doing while this is going on?

As for putting him back in, I'm sure I'm in the minority, but he had been looked over by the trainers and seemingly cleared. I say seemingly to leave two options open: Hoke demanded Morris go in against Schmidt's wishes (unlikely) or Schmidt was too incompetent to keep Morris out pending further examination (also unlikely). I dont know, man. Huge fuckup. But there are way better explanations than evil or incompetence: people make mistakes. Thank God this one didn't compound itself.

I don't care what the score is. What the team's record is. You cannot handle your players like that. Even in an imaginary world where the team is 5-0 and Brady Hoke is the toast of Ann Arbor this is absolutely atrocious player management.

The days of tough guy meathead play til your drop football are over. Even if Morris doesn't take that devestating shot from Cockran, there's no reason for him to be limping around like that. Not effective as a player. Doesn't help the team. Subjects him to further injury.

I happen to be a doctor, and from my vantage point (yes, an armchair) none of those with responsibility to keep the kids out of unnecessarily dangerous situations (Hoke,trainers) can be trusted with that responsibility anymore. Was it a concussion? Can't say with 100% certainty. But obviously likely. What is undeniable is that Morris could no longer protect himself on the foeld.

I'm not a doctor and I can definitely see that based on the video evidence that it's likely. Like I said, the right thing is to take the kid out immediately to be safe. But on the other hand doing it one play later after the kid didn't want to come out initially is not the cataclysmic event everyone is making it out to be.

I'm sort of ok with him taking a play before he realizes/someone makes him aware Morris has a problem. But then he *put him back in* instead of burning a time out after ample opportunity to properly evaluate the situation. That's what makes the sequence, though not "cataclysmic", damning.

But on the other hand doing it one play later after the kid didn't want to come out initially is not the cataclysmic event everyone is making it out to be.

Yes it is. It's the coach's call, not the kid's, especially when the kid is clearly wobbly. Morris is 19 years old and wants to prove himself. He should have absolutely no say in the matter. What if he had gotten popped again?

I guess I'm doing a poor job framing this. I absolutely think leaving him in there for one more play was a mistake. Full stop. And for the record, he needs to be fired, but not for this. I just hate to see people twist this into a Hoke doesn't care for his players thing when it's pretty clear that this is just another in a long string of incidents where he's been caught deer in headlights style during games. Some of the comments here are frankly nothing short of character assasination.

FWIW, I think you are right on the mark here. I think this is a case where being clueless is much more important than bad blocking schemes in the big picture. I do not in any way think Brady Hoke was intentionally leaving Shane Morris in consciously aware that he was endangering the kid's health. But unfortunately I believe that is what he did consciously or unconsciously. The video is clearly damning in that regard.

" I just hate to see people twist this into a Hoke doesn't care for his players thing when it's pretty clear that this is just another in a long string of incidents where he's been caught deer in headlights style during games."

No fighter, no athlete, no competitor at that level wants to come out unless some severe injury precludes them from physically able to do so. Why do you think there are so many cases of CTE in the NFL? Because the players get concussions, but they keep playing because that's the culture and what they're taught to do. It's up to the coaches and the staff to act in the best interests of the players because sometimes they are unable to do so themselves.

It is major and massive and huge that they left them in for another play. It's been shown that some of the most damaging brain injuries occur after the initial trauma. Smaller secondary hits can be more devestating than the first one because of the brain's reaction.

I've been arguing against Hoke from the start. Y'all finally coming around enough to actually say that Hoke needs to go are seizing upon this Morris incident to justify your outrage, to pretend you've been leading this charge. Hoke should be fired but he did not know that Morris was concussed.

This is my take. The film shows Morris hobbling after every play of the drive. One could mistake his wooziness for just being beaten up.

Then, the film shows him barely being able to keep his eyes open, right in front of the coaches, at which point he is immediately yanked. This seems prudent.

He is then seen talking to the trainer, and goes in for one more play. If the trainer thought he had a concussion, he doesn't go back in.

Hoke didn't know. Should he have? Yeah. Does it speak to some level of cluelessness? Yeah. But this is a huge pileup because the team sucks and that loss was the result of the worst offensive performance I've ever seen at Michigan.

I sense that Hoke has beat "toughness" in the player's heads so much if they get hurt they are too scared to exit the game for fear of Hoke giving them the eye roll. There's a serious problem and Hoke is it.

Hoke has lost all credibility. This incident plus how he handled the late hit on Gardner in the nd game shows who he really is. When he made his first year here all about the seniors, I thought it was a real class move. But if he was really a coach who believed in toughness and taking care of his players, he would have stormed across the field after either of those hits and screamed his head off at the ref until he got an ejection or something. Instead he stands there like a coward and all his players follow suit. When you hang your players out to dry, they don't want to play for you.

I'm really conservative about firing coaches. I thought rich rod should have gotten one more year. Going into this season I thought hoke should get one more no matter what. But his handling of these two incidents has changed my mind. Fire him and Brandon tomorrow. If you don't, players are going to start leaving. I would.

Whatever Hoke knew or didn't know, his actions put a player in an incredibly dangerous position. Incompetence, stupidity, malevolence? Who knows. Doesn't matter. He is in a position of tremendous responsibility for the welfare of young people. If he can't do his job appropriately, he needs to go.

"Bluntly, anyone arguing that we shouldn't jump down Hoke's throat because of the slight possibility Morris was not concussed is an idiot."

This is the correct answer. When it comes to a possible head injury, it is unacceptable in today's world to not take extra precautions. It is ludicrous that seemingly NO action was taken, when an entire coaching and medical staff on field AND staff in the booths should have clearly seen what everyone watching on their couch could also see.

As a physician and Michigan fan, I'm shocked like everybody else at the way this whole thing played out. Hoke, the coaching staff and most importantly the medical staff has some serious questions to answer that I'm sure they will avoid in the next few press conferences. What I don't understand was 1) Was he evaluated on the sidelines and 2) if he did have a concussion, why the medical staff didn't take his helmet away from him. That's a really easy common way to ensure that a player doesn't make his way back on the field during the game without being cleared.

I've said a hundred times its on Hoke, he's the head man. But the head man isn't supposed to be allowed to put someone in the game if the trainer says he can't go. I'm shocked that Schmidt didn't hold him out.

Just because an underling doesn't hold a player out doesn't mean that it is OK to put that player back in. They are not the same, and should not provide cover for the person who has ultimate responsibility.

I didn't think that Morris should not even have been in the game when he took the head-shot, let alone after that.

Am I holding Hoke to too high of a standard to actually know what is going on around him, in what is a fairly confined area?

And if he doesn't, at least to realize it and get the information he needs to make a sound decision? He has assistants and other personnel, he has time outs. Is that really too much to ask? Particulary after such a violent hit?

I totally agree. Hoke should have seen it, should have pulled him immediately and should never have even considered putting him back in the game. I'm not excusing Hoke. At all. I'm now thoroughly on the fire him bandwagon, for Christ's sake.

But we're talking about a player's brain, which is a touchy issue for me. So, my concern is how the fuck did the trainers not hold him out? The trainer has 100% power over who plays. Full stop. Hoke cannot overrule him. This policy exists for exactly this reason: if a coach has completely and utterly failed in his duty, there is someone there to stop him from putting the kids in harms way. Schmidt was that guy. He failed. And to me, his failure is more shocking and incomprehensible.

Although ambivalent to Rodriguez' firing, but opposed to Hoke's hiring, I don't think I am in favor of firing Hoke now (mid-season).

The resultant chaos would not only be detrimental to the team but to the individual players as well.

This is the hand we've been dealt, we've played a couple of draws; and it is what it is, we have little choice but to play it out. To do otherwise is to walk away and needlessly lose everything that has been put on the table.

With the resources we have on the sideline not to mention the guys in the booth someone should have stepped in. The HC has his set of eyes plus perhaps 20 other sets in which to utilize in ANY situation involving on-field play. To not catch this just seems far fetched. They're all to blame, especially w/ the traumatic head injury education we've all had lately involving football players. I still can't comprehend how this was 'missed' by everyone. I am ashamed for the first time after a game, now I've been embarassed before, but this one is different than losing or giving up 500 yards on defense. Maybe a HEADSET would of come in handy at this particular moment.

This. This is something I'm struggling with myself. While I've been telling myself that, although I do believe Hoke should be held accountable, what I can say is that he wouldn't PURPOSELY keep Shane on the field, the more it rattles around in my head, the less sense that idea makes.

If it's true that the OC was telling Morris to stay down, then obviously he must have relayed that info to Hoke, no? If the OC saw it then some others MUST have seen it also and one of them would have relayed that to Hoke, again, no?? And this is what just isn't adding up the more I think on it.

HOW EXACTLY would Hoke NOT know if the OC knew? HOW EXACTLY would no one seeing it in replay or on the jumbotron or even that receiver that Shane used to prop himself up NOT have at least gotten Hoke's attention and, if nothing else, simply motioned toward Shane like 'hey, are you seeing this?'

The more I'm thinking on it, the more I think about exactly what I saw so obviously apparent - that Morris needed to at least take a second to regroup - the more I'm kind of coming to the realization that there is simply NO WAY Hoke wouldn't have any idea of Shane's condition at the time that this occurred.

The guys in the booth have access to replay and aren't surrounded by 85 players plus staff. I can't imagine that had he had a set on that there would have been at least one clear voice of concern that stood out above the sideline mayhem. I don't know that Mattison has his set on when the D is off the field and I'm still not sure why Nuss did nothing. I'm not now nor have I ever been a guy that cared whether he wears a set or not, I'm simply saying that in this instance it would have more than likely been advantageous. If you read the rest you'd realize I said everyone is to blame. It's just another resource that should have been on top of things no matter who had a set on or not. Especially when they subbed him back in for Gardner, someone in your ear that has a better perspective on previous plays could have stopped that from happening. Maybe could have stopped that from happening anyway.

It's sad to think that this might NOT be the thing that gets Hoke fired immediately. Think about this from the perspective of any other job; would YOU be fired for such gross negligence even if you "didn't mean to do it"? Of course you would. It'll be sickening if a press conference isn't announced tomorrow and we're told that Hoke is no longer coach, but somehow I don't think that will actually happen.